Support structures, busbars, are often used to suspend/support insulators and Medium voltage connections. These support structures are generally located outdoors and may be of a variety of different configurations to suspend one or more connections. One problem with busbar, particularly with power substations at medium voltages, is that birds or other animals may land or climb onto the structure. Such contact by animals, particularly adjacent the support structure, may cause a short or electrical flash-over allowing current flow through the animal, which may cause a power outage or other problem with the power system.
For example, it is known that birds from time to time perch on support structures such as substation support structures. For certain birds, their wing span is great enough to contact two parallel lines or otherwise create an electrical flashover during take off or landing. In addition, to harming the bird, such an electrical flashover can also cause a power outage or other problem with the power distribution system.
Some configurations of support structures for substations, such as a V-switch, include two insulators that are coupled to the supporting ground bus structure in a manner that leaves the ends of the insulators proximate the ground bus structure in relatively close proximity to each other. Such an arrangement may be problematic for conventional covers, which may interfere with each other and/or create a leakage path for the insulators. As a result, for example, a V-switch containing the insulators may undesirably still conduct current when the switch has been opened.